Fluffy, Fluffy Pancakes

These super fluffy pancakes are sure to be a showstopper at your next brunch party! This recipe is quick, easy, and doesn't require any buttermilk!

This post is all about teaching you how to make thick, airy pancakes without the need for special equipment or buttermilk. And while there is a recipe, I urge you to read through the entire post - the truth of it is, making wondrous pancakes is very do-able however, there is some knowledge and technique involved!

Don't worry…it's not going to feel like you're stuck in chemistry class. It's just some basic tips and explanations that often get overlooked when it comes to making pancakes at home.

this recipe

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour, sifted
• Baking powder (no need for baking soda)
• Salt
• White sugar
• Milk (full fat or whole milk is best)
• Large egg, beaten
• Unsalted butter, melted
• Pure vanilla extract
• Canola oil (or any other vegetable oil), for cooking

Instructions

To make perfect homemade pancakes, start by combining sifted all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and white sugar in a large bowl, mixing them thoroughly to ensure even distribution of the leavening agents. In a separate bowl, prepare your wet ingredients by combining a beaten egg, milk, vanilla extract, and melted butter - let the butter cool ever so slightly first to prevent it from cooking the egg!

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and gently mix until they’re mostly combined. Don’t worry about getting all the lumps out - a slightly lumpy batter is ideal for fluffy pancakes. Let the batter rest for five to ten minutes, which allows the flour to properly hydrate and the leavening agents to activate. (If you have a particularly warm kitchen, you can pop the batter into the fridge for thirty minutes.)

While the batter rests, prepare your cooking surface by heating a heavy-bottomed, non-stick pan (or griddle) over low-medium heat. Coat the pan with a thin layer of oil. Using a quarter-cup measure as your portioning tool, drop batter into the heated pan to create uniformly-sized pancakes. Watch for golden-brown coloring on the bottom and bubbles forming on the top surface - these are your cues to flip. Cook the second side until it matches the first in color, adjusting your heat as needed. Serve your pancakes immediately while they’re still hot and at their best. Enjoy!

Why are my pancakes flat? How can I make my pancakes fluffier?

There are a number of factors that can lead to your pancakes being flat. But here are the four (okay, five) horsemen of the pancake apocalypse (pancalypse…panpocalypse…pancakalypse…help):

1. Over-mixing your batter - overmixing your pancake batter will deflate a lot of the air bubbles in your batter, making it difficult for your pancakes to rise into the light and fluffy pancakes you want. Secondly, it'll develop the gluten. And too much gluten will result in a tough, chewy pancake. One way to avoid this is to fold your pancake batter using a spatula instead of a whisk or electric mixer.
2. Stale Baking Powder - baking powder typically has a shelf life of 9 months to a year. To check whether your baking powder is still fresh, simply stir half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of water. If you see an immediate reaction (it'll fizz up, bestie!), then it's still good to use. If not, you should consider replacing it.
3. Humid Conditions - This is based on an observation made by many of my readers (you can see it mentioned in the comments section below). But a very humid kitchen results in a runnier batter, which means less fluffy pancakes. If you happen to be in a place that is very humid, try putting your batter in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to make sure it doesn't become too fluid/runny.
4. Not Letting Your Batter Rest - Letting your batter rest before cooking allows the starch granules in the flour to expand resulting in an airier pancake.
5. The Violent Flip - Turn the pancakes over gently. Flipping them high into the air results in the air literally being squished out of them.

Topping suggestions

While many pancake recipes involve mixing the toppings into the pancake batter, I don’t recommend that with this particular recipe – at least, I don’t recommend it presuming that your goal is super fluffy pancakes. Here are some simple suggestions for toppings to add over the pancakes (you can dot them onto the top of the pancakes in a single layer just before they finish cooking):

• Blueberries, raspberries, and/or strawberries with a generous dollop of whipped cream
• Chocolate chips
• Butter and maple syrup

Gluten-free variation

Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum, and let the prepared batter rest in the fridge for an extra 10-15 minutes. If needed, you can add an extra egg or increase the baking powder by a ¼ teaspoon.

Dairy-free variation

Many readers have found that the recipe works very well with a simple substitution swapping out the milk for oat milk (generally agreed to have the best texture) as well as almond milk. I’d add swapping out the butter with coconut oil to make the recipe truly dairy free.  

Other no-buttermilk pancake recipes

Here are three more amazing pancake recipes that don't require any buttermilk at all. Each one is unique, and delicious!

• Fluffy Japanese Pancakes - taking a bite out of these meringue-based babies is like eating a delicious cloud! (Yes, they spark joy.)
  
• Lemon Mascarpone Pancakes - perfect for days when you're looking to impress with an elegant pancake recipe.
• Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes - this is the pancake you serve when you want everyone to spend the first 5 minutes of the meal taking photos of the food.

Helpful tools

The link below is an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase using it, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). These small commissions help keep Chocolates & Chai going. Thank you.

Luckily, it doesn't take much equipment to make perfect pancakes. It is however a lovely feeling to have all the right equipment. Here are a few little things that might make your pancake-making experience just that much sweeter.

• Silver Dollar Pancake Pan - if you want your pancakes to all look exactly the same.
• Zwilling J.A. Henckels Marquina Non-Stick Frying Pan - a good pan is crucial to properly cooking pancakes, and this one is sure to please.